An exploration of pizza in and around Rochester, NY, one pizzeria at a time

Friday, April 26, 2013

Slice Pizza Co., Churchville

Thanks to a very alert reader of this blog, I became aware recently of a new pizzeria in Churchville, Slice Pizza Co. It's located in the site formerly occupied by Mama Mia's.
I got a couple of pepperoni slices at lunchtime recently. Apart from the thick cornicione, the crust was quite thin, and the slices were on the floppy side.
The undersides were a mottled pattern of golden and light brown, and were dusted with corn meal. There were no screen marks. I wouldn't call them crisp, but they were reasonably firm; call them al dente. The cornicione was a little crisper, and had a satisfactory breadlike flavor.There wasn't an abundance of cheese on these, but it was enough considering the thinness of the crust; too much cheese can easily overwhelm a thin crust. This cheese, however, hadn't melted all that well, and individual shreds were easy to see; the pizza didn't seem undercooked, so it may be the type of cheese that was used.
The sauce was a tad sweet, and again considering the thinness of these slices, they were on the saucy side. The thin-sliced Hormel pepperoni was average, and not too greasy.
Despite the sweetish sauce, through it all there was a certain saltiness to this pizza. I couldn't say if it came from the sauce, cheese or pepperoni. It wasn't overly salty or anything, but my tastebuds did pick up some salty notes.Pizzas at SPCo come in four sizes, personal, small, large (16") and sheet (25x18"). They offer 19 toppings, and six specialty pizzas. Also on the menu are hot and cold subs, wings, various deep-fried and grilled items, plates, wraps, nachos and quesadillas.
This pizza was OK, no complaints, but all in all it was about average for local pizza. The crust was decent but not as crisp as I would've liked, and the toppings were acceptable but again not outstanding. Worth a stop if you're passing through the area and wanting a slice or two, but that's about it. I'll give these a C.
Slice Pizza Co., 54 S. Main St., Churchville
293-9000
Mon. 4 - 10, Tue. - Thu. 11 - 10, Fri. & Sat. 11 - 11, Sun. noon - 10

2 comments:

The slices are in fact, slightly undercooked. That does not mean the pizza slices 'tasted' undercooked. You observed as much by correctly using the term 'al dente' to describe the underside of the pizza slices. The pizza the slices came from, needed 1 - 2 minutes of additional bake time for a correct or optimum finished product. The pizza having baked for a minor yet critical 1-2 minutes 'less' what was required is why the cheese is not melted properly.

The potential for a nice underside is 'right there'. Pizza Guy, your 'eye' is becoming 'trained' so you KNOW what I mean.

If in fact the pepperoni used is Hormel brand, that could explain the 'saltiness' your pallet experienced but could not 'micro target'. Numerous independent pizza shops opt for Hormel brand pepperoni. They will almost NEVER admit it, but the primary reason is cost. As you know, 'all pepperoni is not created equally'. For the most part, they all taste ok, but quality varies immensely. Hormel is infamous for it's inordinate saltiness.

There is a 'HIGH' probability that in so 'many' pizza reviews you have posted, when the pepperoni was 'average', 'ordinary' or 'unremarkable', the Hormel brand was used. BTW, Hormel brand pepperoni is the #1 selling brand of pepperoni in the United States. Contrary to the Hormel website or various marketing tactics they employ, in terms of quality, there is 'far superior' pepperoni available in the marketplace, both at the retail and wholesale level. Do they cost more? Yes. Are they worth the higher price? Yes.

Ratings Guide

A: great; one of the best this area has to offerB: pretty good; not top-notch, but definitely good, and better than averageC: OK; nothing special, but it’ll do; typical for our areaD: edible; if you’ve already paid for it, you might as well eat itF: downright bad; toss it and get something else